Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Burnley

Glenn Murray missed a penalty as Brighton's winless run stretched to seven matches with a goalless draw against Burnley, but defender Lewis Dunk is "confident" his side will not rue the dropped points.

Albion dominated the first half at the Amex, with Anthony Knockaert striking the post, before Murray headed straight into the gloves of Nick Pope from close range.

Murray should have made his side's territory count when he won a penalty against James Tarkowski, but his wild effort flew over the crossbar.

Fifth-placed Burnley had the better of a second half in which Tarkowski saw a header cleared off the line by Dale Stephens, before a superb double save from Mat Ryan denied Scott Arfield from close range.

In the first top-flight meeting between the sides, Chris Wood spurned the best chance for the visitors, when his attempted chip was blocked by Ryan.

The result sees the south-coast club stay 13th.

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Mixed feelings for Brighton

When the dust settles, the Seagulls will probably see this as a good point.

Having struck the post and wasted a penalty, there will be an element of disappointment in the first instance.

In their previous competitive meeting in April 2016, Burnley scored an injury-time equaliser in a 2-2 Championship draw at the Amex; the Clarets went on to win the title, with Brighton missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference before losing out in the play-offs.

But in the here and now, their winless run stretches back to a 1-0 victory at Swansea on 4 November - a solitary Premier League victory in their past eight games.

It's a streak which has seen the gap between Chris Hughton's side and the relegation zone shorten, and while they should be heartened by another competitive performance, their lack of cutting edge is a concern.

Indeed, Albion's four Premier League wins this season have now come against teams in the bottom six.

Clarets show that attitude is everything

Before this match, Burnley boss Sean Dyche side that while his side's lofty position in the Premier League was pleasing, his side were not at a "level where we're swaggering into places."

And so it proved, initially at least.

With Brighton pushing hard for a first-half opener, there were rare signs of frailty in the Clarets' defence, but after riding their luck and surviving Murray's penalty, their second-half showing was assured, and bore the hallmarks of a side who are upsetting the odds by rubbing shoulders with the traditional top six clubs.

At the heart of Burnley's rise has been their form on the road - a far different picture to that of a side who won just once away from home in 2016-17.

The Lancashire side now boast the third-best away record of any Premier League side this season, behind only Manchester City and Chelsea, with a record of four wins, three draws and just two defeats from nine away days.

The Turf Moor club have 32 points on the board from 18 games - a tally that took them until mid-March to achieve last season.

The visit of Tottenham next week presents a different challenge, but could yet take Dyche's side to new heights.

'A monumental effort' - what they said

Brighton manager Chris Hughton: "On the balance of play we were far better than them for long periods.

"Everyone misses a penalty now and again. Glenn is reliable and what we look for more is an all-round performance. [If we had scored] it would have released the pressure of having not scored many recently and we might have got a couple more.

"Burnley are in the best form they've probably ever been in and it was a tough test today."

Burnley manager Sean Dyche: "It's a good point and to have three straight clean sheets and seven points from our last three games in the Premier League is very pleasing.

"They [Brighton] are on a tough run and made a few changes from in the week. My players are putting in a monumental amount of effort and we have to earn the right to compete in every game, including here at Brighton."

Burnley keeping it tight at the back - the stats

• Brighton have picked up just three points in their last seven Premier League games (D3 L4), after accruing 11 in the seven before that (W3 D2 L2).
• Burnley's Premier League games this season have produced a divisional-low 28 goals (16 for, 12 against).
• The Seagulls have netted just one goal in their last six Premier League games, after scoring eight in the six before that.
• Burnley have lost just four games in the top flight this season, as many defeats as they suffered in their last six games of the 2016/17 campaign.
• Only Manchester United (10) have kept more Premier League clean sheets this season than Burnley (nine, level with Arsenal).
• The Clarets have only made 15 changes to their starting line-up in the Premier League this season, nine fewer than any other side.
• Glenn Murray has now missed three of his last five Premier League penalties.

Man of the match - Mat Ryan (Brighton)

What's next?

Brighton are back at the Amex again in their next Premier League fixture, as they host Watford on Saturday, 23 December (15:00 GMT); on the same day, Burnley entertain Tottenham at Turf Moor (17:30).